# Teleconsultations in oral medicine: dentist perception during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil

## TL;DR

This study explores how dentists in Brazil perceived using telediagnosis in oral medicine during the pandemic.

## Contribution

It provides insights into dentist perceptions and readiness to adopt telediagnosis in a specific Brazilian region.

## Key findings

- Most dentists found telediagnosis easy to use and wanted to continue using it post-pandemic.
- A significant portion felt patients were not confident sharing information via telediagnosis.
- Training and preparation are needed for professionals to feel comfortable using the technology.

## Abstract

The aim of this study was to describe the perception of dentists from the North macroregion of Minas Gerais, Brazil, users of telediagnosis in Oral Medicine, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is a cross-sectional and descriptive study. Data collection was carried out online, between May and October 2022. The information was transferred to the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences for Windows (SPPS)® version 24.

The sample consisted of 255 dentists, predominantly female. Regarding perception, a significant percentage (47.8%) of respondents agreed that they would like to use telediagnosis frequently, more than half (60.6%) agreed that the technology is easy to use, only a small percentage (8.8%) needed technical support to use it and almost half (48.2%) mentioned the desire to continue using it after the pandemic. When asked if patients felt confident and comforTable when passing on information, more than half disagreed or remained neutral (58.4%), a similar result was found in relation to confidence in the application of the instrument by professionals.

It is concluded that, during the pandemic, telediagnosis in Oral Medicine was an easy and adequate tool. However, professionals must be trained and prepared to be comforTable and ready for use.

Key words:COVID-19, oral medicine, telemedicine, teledentistry.